Levin



March 17, 1964 N. LEVIN PATTERNED FABRIC Original Filed July 17, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 0 u m w m n w Y .M W. :M P h M a m m m m L p m M a 1 N r 4.1 4.). M A 7 Q MM- a MM a a I H A m 3 I M. 3 A" 7 b m IP10 0 M N 6 M i w a M7 w E w AM M. P M T- L M MM. 2 F 9. l

March 17, 1964 LEvlN 3,124,948

PATTERNED FABRIC Original Filed July 17, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 V 4-1 r-a FEED P1 r3- E- N93 i FEED IN V EN TUR- NATHAN LEV/N FEED x ml 26 BY ATTORNEY March 17, 1964 N. LEVIN 3,124,948

PATTERNED FABRIC Original Filed July 17, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR. Nat/1 an lav/n ATTORNEY.

United States Patent 3,124,948 PATTERNED FABRIC Nathan Levin, Trenton, NJ, assignor to Textile Machine Works, Wyornissing, Pan, a corporation of Pennsylvania Uriginal appiication duly 17, 1956, Ser. No. 598,298, now Patent No. 2,919,565, dated Jan. 5, 1960. Divided and this appiieation Oct. 26, 1959, Ser. No. 848,695

1 Uaim. Cl. 66-179) The present invention relates generally to the art of knitting and more particularly to weft knit fabric composed of suture joined areas or portions of fabric having an overplaid design incorporated therein. This application is a division of my prior application Serial No. 598,- 298, filed July 17, 1956, now Patent No. 2,919,565, issued January 5, 1960, for Method of Knitting Patterned Fabric.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a tubular weft knit fabric, which may comprise the leg portion of a stocking, having a plural section pattern composed of a plurality of suture joined fabric areas having an overplaid design in which the design is formed of a plurality of individual overplaid yarns without walewise floats, and to provide a method of knitting the same.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide weft knit fabric having a plural section pattern composed of a plurality of suture joined fabric areas having an overplaid design wherein the design is formed of overplaid yarns of which individual ones thereof are knit in adjoining fabric areas of adjoining pattern sections on both sides of the common suture therebetween, and to provide a method of making the same.

With these and other objects in view which will become apparent from the following detailed description of the illustrative embodiment of the invention shown in the accompanying drawings, the invention resides in the novel features of the present method of knitting and in the product resulting therefrom, as hereinafter more particularly pointed out in the claim.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a view of one side of a solid color stocking of the Argyle type having an overplaid design of the present invention incorporated therein;

FIG. 2 is a partial view of the opposite side of the stocking shown in FIGURE 1;

FIG. 3 is a view illustrating a step in the method of knitting, of the present invention, upon a four-feed circular knitting machine, the needle circle being indicated by a dot-and-dash line;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3 illustrating another step in the method of knitting; and

FIG. 5 is an enlarged diagrammatic stitch diagram of a small portion of the fabric enclosed by the dot-and-dash square in FIG. 1.

The overplaid design is preferably incorporated in circular knit hosiery and is preferably made upon a multifeed machine of the type disclosed in the application of Benjamin Franklin Coile, Serial No. 329,801, filed January 6, 1953, to which reference may be made.

In the machine of the Coile application, hosiery of the Argyle or intarsia type having solid color, suture joined, four-section patterns may be knit by more than one method. One method includes the formation of a complete course, containing suture joined partial courses of each of the four pattern sections, on the four feeds during each stroke of the machine. In a second method, the machine may be operated to knit an opposite pair of partial courses of a first pair of opposite pattern section fabric areas on correspondingly opposite feeds, with the other pair of feeds normally inactive, during each stroke of the machine. In this latter method, known as the fill-in system, the said first pair of opposite fabric areas is completed ice by their associated pair of feeds, after which the said pair of feeds is made inactive and the previously inactive pair of feeds is made active to knit the inbetween second pair of fabric areas. For example, in the case of diamond shaped areas of an Argyle pattern, the feeds Nos. 1 and 3 may knit an opposite pair of diamonds in an opposite pair of pattern sections with feeds Nos. 2 and 4 inactive, after which the feeds Nos. 2. and 4 may be activated to knit and fill-in an inbetween pair of diamonds in the intervening pair of pattern sections with feeds Nos. 1 and 3 inactive, and then these steps may be repeated. It will be understood that the contiguous diamonds are suture joined along their outlines as the held loops thereof on needles progressively retired during the knitting of any one pair of diamonds are knitted when the retired needles are progressively made active during knitting of the other pair of diamonds. The fill-in system is not limited to the formation of diamond shaped areas but may be used for solid areas of other configuration. It is with the fill-in system of solid color knitting such as that generally shown in my Patent No. 2,917,912, issued December 22, 1959, and the present application are related, in connection with the incorporation of an overplaid design.

As illustrated in FIGURES l and 2, the stocking includes a top 141, a leg portion 11, and the usual foot portion 12. The leg portion is provided with a four section diamond shaped Argyle pattern of which there are the upper opposite pair of side half diamonds 13 and 14; the intermediate opposite pair of said diamonds 15 and 16; the lower opposite pair of side half diamonds 17 and 18; the front and rear upper pair of diamonds 19 and Zil; and the front and rear lower pair of diamonds 21 and 22. The various diamonds are joined along diagonally extending suture lines indicated at 23. The diamonds themselves, each of a solid color, are ornamented with an overplaid design comprising relatively narrow lines of stitches of contrastingly colored yarns, the overplaid design generally dividing each diamond into a group of four smaller diamonds. The diamond areas 13, 15 and 17 and the diamond areas 14, 16 and 18, are formed in an opposite pair of pattern sections while the diamond areas 19 and 21 and the diamond areas 20 and 22 are formed in the intervening pair of pattern sections. It will be noted that there is a number of wales common to adjacent pattern sections.

The diamond shaped areas on the side of the stocking shown in FIGURE 1 are provided with an overplaid design knit of overplaid yarns a and b which start to knit generally at about the center of the widest course of half diamond 13 and, as the knitting continues, diverge at an angle to the wales to meet the mid-points of its lower suture lines 23 (which are also the mid'points of the upper suture lines 23 of diamonds '19 and 263) about halfway down the half diamond 13, then continue to knit along the same diverging lines in the diamonds 19' and 20 to about the centers thereof after which they are knit along converging lines to meet the mid-points of the lower suture lines 23 of these diamonds 19 and 20 (which are also the mid-points of the upper suture lines 23 of diamond 15), then continue to knit along the same converging lines to meet at about the center of diamond 15 after which they are knit along diverging lines to meet the mid-points of the lower suture lines .23 of diamond 15 (which are also the mid-points of the upper suture lines 23 of the diamonds 21 and 2.2), then continue to knit along the same diverging lines in the diamonds 21 and 27; to the centers thereof after Which they are knit along converging lines to meet the mid-points of the lower suture lines 23 of these diamonds 21 and 22 (which are also the mid-points of the upper suture lines 23 of the lower half diamond 17) and then continue to knit along the same converging lines in the half diamond 17 to meet at about the center of its w) widest course, after which knitting of the overplaid yarns a and b cease and the terminal ends thereof float inside the stocking, as indicated by the dotted lines, the beginning ends of these yarns also being indicated by dotted lines.

In a similar manner the diamond shaped areas on the side of the stocking shown in FIG. 2 are provided with an overplaid design knit of overplaid yarns c and d incorporated therein during the knitting of these diamonds. It should be noted that the lines knit of the yarns b and meet generally at the centers of diamonds 19 and 211, and that the lines knit of the yarns a and d meet generally at the centers of diamonds 20 and 22.

The particular location of the overplaid design shown in the drawing is by way of example only and it may be placed in other portions of the diamonds, also, the design itself may be varied, and, in one form or another, may be used in combination with suture joined fabric areas of other configuration,

Generally in the method of knitting set forth in Patent No. 2,917,912, courses of the side half diamonds 13 and 14, the side full diamonds 15 and 16, and the side half diamonds 17 and .18, are knit in opposite directions at feeds Nos. 2 and 4 of suitable body yarns, while the overplaid design is incorporated in these diamonds at the feeds Nos. 1 and 3 by using a pair of overplaid yarns at and individual to each of the latter feeds each of the pair of overplaid yarns being knit during only one of the opposite directions at its associated feed. In a like manner courses of front and rear diamonds 19, 20, 21 and 22 are knit in opposite directions at feeds Nos. 1 and 3 of suitable body yarns, while the overplaid design is incorporated in these diamonds at feeds Nos. 2 and 4 by using another pair of overplaid yarns at and individual to each of the latter feeds each of this pair of overplaid yarns also being knit in only one of the directions of knitting at its associated feed. The overplaid yarns float walewise inside the fabric between the diamonds within which they are incorporated since the knit lines of the overplaid yarns do not extend into adjoining fabric areas.

According to the present invention, courses of the opposite side half diamonds 13 and 14, the opposite side half diamonds 17 and 18, and the opposite full diamonds 15 and 16, are knit in opposite directions at feeds Nos. 2 and 4, of suitable body yarns 24 and 2 5 (according to the diagrammatic arrangement of FIG. 3) while at the same time the overplaid yarns, b and c at feed No. 1 and a and d at feed No. 3, are incorporated therein in the form of single .or non-plated stitches during only one of the directions at the latter two feeds, generally after the manner set forth in Patent No. 2,917,912. Courses of the front and rear diamonds 19, 20, 211 and 2 2 are knit in opposite directions at feeds Nos. 1 and 3, of suitable body yarns 26 and '27 (according to the diagrammatic arrangement of FIG. 4) While at the same time the overplaid yarns, a and b at feed No. 2 and c and d at feed No. 4, are incorporated therein in the form of single or non-plated stitches in only one of the directions of knitting at the latter two feeds, also generally after the manner set forth in the Patent No. 2,917,912, but dilfering therefrom in that the same overplaid yarns previously fed at feeds Nos. 1 and 3 are now fed at feeds Nos. 2 and 4. It should be noted that the overplaid yarns are arranged in a particular manner at the various feeds, one of each pair thereof being moved from any one feed to the feed nearest thereto to provide the pair of overplaid yarns thereat. The yarns a and b are moved from the feeds Nos. 1 and 3 to provide the pair of yarns for feed No. 2 while the yarns c and d are moved from the feeds Nos. 1 and 3 to provide the pair of yarns for feed No. 4. The overplaid yarns are moved back and forth between the feeds to provide the arrangements of FIGS. 3 and 4, as required for the knitting of the various pairs of diamonds as the knitting continues to form the full complement of diamond shaped areas required for the tubular fabric. The body yarns may be changed as to color as desired so that the various diamonds may be contrastingly colored. The overplaid yarns, which may also be contrastingly colored, may each be moved back and forth between an adjacent pair of feeds by any suitable means, for example, by a movable yarn feeding finger which is suitably pivoted to swing to feeding positions, under pattern control, at and between each pair of adjacent feeds.

The yarns a and I], after knitting in the half diamond 13 continue to knit, successively, in the diamonds =19 and 20, the diamond 15, the diamonds 21 and 22, and the half diamond 17, and the yarns c and d likewise, after knitting in the half diamond 14, continue to knit, successively, in the diamonds 1% and 20, the diamond 16, the diamonds Z1 and 22, and the half diamond 18. Thus vertical interior floats of the overplaid yarns (which were subject to a trimming :operation) between diamonds are avoided and the overplaid design is formed of a lesser number of yarns to provide a neater and generally more attractive appearance to the interior of the stocking which is thus free of unsightly cut ends of overplaid yarns. Furthermore, a stronger and better stitch construction is provided by continuing the knitting of the overplaid de sign across the suture lines by the same yarns as shown in FIG. 5, for this avoids the possibility of holes or weak points in the fabric at the places where, previously, the stitches of each separate overplaid yarn either terminated or began at or near the suture lines. It will be noted that each of the overplaid yarns is knit in the fabric areas of an adjacent pair of pattern sections, and, while each yarn is show-n in the wales common to both pattern sections, the over-plaid yarns may also be knit in other wales of these pattern sections.

Having thus described my invention in full detail, it will be understood that these details need not be strictly adhered to and that various changes and modifications may be made all falling within the scope of the invention as defined by the following claim.

I claim:

A weft knit fabric having a plurality of walewise extending overlapping pattern sections each of which is composed of a number of fabric areas having courses of stitches knit of a body yarn and suture-joined to adjoining fabric areas of adjoining pattern sections, and an overplaid design incorporated in at least certain of said areas, a portion of said design being formed of stitches of an individual yarn incorporated in the courses of and extending back and forth between the centers of the adjoining fabric areas of an adjoining pair of pattern sections, individual stitches of said overplaid stitches being between the stitches of and extending over a pair of adjacent courses of said body yarns in said adjoining fabric areas, and said body yarns floating across said overplaid stitches in said adjacent courses.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,131,720 St. Pierre Sept. 27, 1938 2,626,516 Green Jan. 27, 1953 2,680,961 Thurston June 15, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 308,321 Great Britain Mar. 28, 1929 

